(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- Rutgers University and Carnegie Hall have signed an agreement designating Rutgers as an official partner for Carnegie Hall's Well-Being Concerts. This initiative, established by Carnegie Hall in 2023, integrates world-class musical performance with evidence-informed practices designed to support health, reflection, and social connection.
The partnership positions Rutgers among the first institutions nationally to collaborate directly with Carnegie Hall in expanding the Well-Being Concert model beyond New York City.
The inaugural Rutgers Well-Being Concert, featuring Rutgers violinist Christina Bouey, will take place at the university's Zimmerli Art Museum at 71 Hamilton Street in New Brunswick, at 5:00pm on April 9, 2026, as the culminating event of the Art Heals symposium. The concert is free and open to the public, but tickets are limited and can be reserved through the symposium registration page. This concert is created in partnership with Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute.
Ian Koebner, inaugural endowed chair and professor of Arts in Health at Mason Gross School of the Arts, also serves as Carnegie Hall's Strategic Advisor for Health and Wellness and has been involved in developing the Well-Being Concerts since their inception.
"This partnership will provide a platform for the university and the communities we serve to experience and explore the profound impact of live music on individual and collective well-being," Koebner says. "It will create meaningful training opportunities for students and faculty interested in using their musicianship to support health, while bringing inspiring artists and scholars to Rutgers. At the same time, it will serve as a bridge connecting the arts with departments and schools across the Rutgers ecosystem."
Koebner notes that while each concert is unique, the series intentionally departs from a traditional performance format. Programs are structured as immersive experiences that integrate guided reflection, focused listening practices, and opportunities for connection between audiences and performers. The goal is to foster an environment where music is not only heard but experienced as a form of care.
Angela Starkweather, dean and professor at the Rutgers School of Nursing, emphasizes the significance of the initiative for health care education and practice. "We are excited to create opportunities for health care learners, faculty, staff, and the patients we serve to experience this form of care. Introducing this model to our colleagues across the health system will expand how we think about healing environments and the role of the arts in supporting health." Koebner and Dean Starkweather are planning a Well-Being Concert in collaboration with the School of Nursing for fall 2026.
The program also represents a major milestone for Mason Gross School of the Arts as it expands its leadership in arts and health innovation.
Jason Geary, Rutgers–New Brunswick's provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, says: "This partnership creates new opportunities for students, faculty, and communities to explore how artistic excellence intersects with research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and societal impact."
Carnegie Hall's Well-Being Concerts combine world-class musical performances with elements of self-care and mindfulness, animated by growing evidence that music helps people heal and thrive. Each concert creates an immersive, nurturing environment in which audiences and performers share the soul-nourishing benefits of music, cultivate meaningful connections, and explore tools for well-being that extend beyond the performance itself. Well-Being Concerts are an initiative of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, the education and social impact arm of the Hall.
Mason Gross School of the Arts is a vibrant community of artists and scholars committed to pursuing excellence, innovation, and inclusivity. Its mission is to create socially relevant art, foster diverse programming and curricula, cultivate community partnerships, and advance the arts through teaching, creative activity, advocacy, and research that contributes to the public good. Comprising approximately 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students across programs in music, theater, dance, filmmaking, and art and design, Mason Gross is housed within Rutgers–New Brunswick, a premier Big Ten research university that serves some 50,000 students and is the flagship campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
